Jjambbong (Korean-Chinese Spicy Noodle Soup)

April 11, 2011

This spicy red noodle soup, jjambbong (also spelled jjamppong), is one of the most popular Korean-Chinese dishes alongside another noodle dish called jajangmyeon (noodles in a black bean sauce). Adapted for Korean taste by early Chinese immigrants in Korea, Korean-Chinese cuisine (although called Chinese by Koreans) is a huge part of Korean food culture. Korean-Chinese restaurants are everywhere in Korea. Every Korean especially loves the two noodle dishes, jajangmyeon and jjambbong. Often times, Koreans have a hard time choosing between the two when eating out.

With the weather still cool, I have been refining my jjambbong recipe. You will find it surprisingly easy to make this popular bowl of noodle soup at home with easy-to-find ingredients. Restaurants use a tad chewy hand-pulled noodles, but for home cooking you can find ready made fresh noodles at Korean markets. Another option is to simply use spaghetti or linguini noodles. The soup is typically made with chicken stock for a rich flavor, but you can also use anchovy broth for a cleaner/lighter taste. This soup also incorporates pork, chili infused oil, and various vegetables and seafood. The combination of all the natural ingredients creates a hearty bowl of soup that is packed with robust flavors. The spiciness will surely clear your sinuses!

Have a pot of water ready to cook the noodles. (Turn the heat on when you start cooking the soup ingredients. This way you can time it so that the noodles can be finished cooking at the same time the soup is ready.) While making the soup, cook the noodles according to the package instructions and drain.

Prepare all of the ingredients before you begin cooking, including the seafood (not shown in this picture).

Heat a wok or a large pot over high heat. Add the oil, ginger, scallion, gochugaru and soy sauce and stir fry for a minute.

Add the pork and stir fry until the pork is almost cooked, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the onion, carrot, cabbage, zucchini and optional mushrooms, lightly salt, and cook until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour in the chicken stock (or anchovy broth/water) and boil until the vegetables are completely cooked.

Add the seafood starting with the clams, which require more time to cook, followed by the mussels, shrimps and squid. Bring everything to a boil again and cook until the shells have opened. Salt and pepper to taste. Place a serving of the noodles in a large soup bowl and ladle the soup on top. Serve immediately while piping hot.

I have tried so many of your recipes and each one is fantastic. Love the spicy pork one especially. My Korean husband is always asking about jajangmyeon and since I don’t know how to make it, I was wondering if you could post a recipe for it. Thanks again for all the great Korean meals we’ve been eat.

Pierre – Thanks for stopping by. Are you planning on visiting her again this year? I remember you went to see her last spring or early summer.

Roxan, Chris and Min – Thanks for the nice comments.

Michelle – I am incredibly happy to hear that you have tried many of my recipes and like them. Thank you very much! Jajangmyeon is on my list of things to do, but I will definitely push it up to the top part of my list.

Yum! What an awesome way to do jjambbong at home. Thanks for sharing your recipe and providing inspiration for easy cooking that looks gourmet. I stopped by your site because my friend loves your recipes. Now you are on my google reader!

Oh this looks fabulous, Hyosun! My mother and I love to order this at a restaurant, especially when we have colds! 😉 Never thought to try to make it at home thinking that it would be too hard. Thank you for the recipe!

Stephanie – Let me know how it turns out for you when you try. Thanks.

Kay – My family usually order this too when we go out. We have quite a few Korean-Chinese restaurants in the Northern Virginia where we live, but I actually started to make this when we were snowed in one year and loved it. Thanks for stopping by.

Becky – Thanks for trying the recipe and letting me know how it turned out. Nothing makes me happier about my blog than hearing from my readers that they have tried the recipe and enjoyed the result. Hope to hear from you again.

This looks simply amazing! Jjambbong is one of my favorite dishes. There’s a place in NJ that specializes in it, and the key is their fresh, handmade noodles. But I’d love to try to make this at home. Thank you for the recipe.

Esther and Rachel – Please try! My daughter sent me a picture message of jjambbong she made today, saying it was really delicious even without all the seafood ingredients. She said she only had shrimp. Let me know how it turns out for you.

Hi Hyosun, your soup looks amazing and I love all of the seafood. Thanks for the background info regarding Korean-Chinese cuisine. I never new it even existed, let alone knew that there were actual Korean-Chinese restaurants! I’m always happy to have stopped by and learned something new. Thank you! And Happy Mother’s Day to you!

I used to be allergic to some shellfish but I made and devoured this dish anyway… Incredibly, I had no reaction to the shrimp that would usually make my throat itch like crazy. Ever since then, I haven’t had any problems!

I’m not saying that this dish will absolutely cure you of all your allergies…. but i’m not not saying it either

I have a question XD. You put chicken stock to use but is it American chicken stock? or Korean chicken stock. and if its korean, what do you use (what do you do to make it or is there even a korean chicken stock to buy XD?)

Jisoo – Chicken stock used in Korean-Chinese cooking is much lighter, but you can use American stock for this dish. If you want to make Korean chicken stock, simply boil some chicken with bones, a couple of scallion white parts, a little piece of ginger, and half of an onion. First bring it to a boil and then simmer over lower heat for at least an hour. I have not seen any commercially available Korean stock.

Just returrned from Raleigh NC , an up and back trip to a funeral . The weather was cold and it made me crave this dish but I had no time to go to my favorite restaurant that served this dish. I this frequented this restaurant weekly in winter for this special dish . I thank you for sharing your recipe ,I no longer have to crave and be disappointed .

I just made this and OMG was it sooooo damn good. I have been to korea several times and miss the food so much i started cooking it myself. I have been cooking for many years and this was one of the simplest dishes i have ever made and sooooo worth it.

Hi Ms. Hyosun! I love the “Nong Shim Korean Noodles” but wouldn’t want to eat it often because it’s not as healthy. Can I use this recipe without all the vegetables and seafood and make it taste the same way as the instant one?Thanks for your help! I would be looking at all the other recipes you’ve posted later.

Mowee – Sorry about the late response. I’ll be honest with you. This dish is very different in many ways from instant ramen. It’s not going to be the same even if you omit the vegetables and seafood. But I am sure you will enjoy this dish as is if you make it. Thanks!

Ajumma, Kumsamida. This is one Korean Recipe I’ve wanted to learn for ages. My wife is Korean but didn’t have a recipe for jjamppong. I love jjamppong and now my wife will have no excuse NOT to make it for me. If she doesn’t I can make it myself. Our daughter is a great cook and I’ve e-mailed the recipe to her. Her husband is Chinese and he also adores Korean cuisine.

Being the token white guy in the mix I’ve learned to eat Korean food but I’m not yet there with the level of spiciness that they enjoy. My daughter even took my Italian recipes handed down by my family and spiced them up. Whew!

I’ll make my own jjamppong and spice it to my level of tolerance. Again Kumsamida

This was AMAZING!! I don’t like seafood so I used pork belly and two links of andouille sausage then added a bit less red pepper to compensate for the spice in the sausage. I also added a bunch of extra mushrooms because I love them. I cannot wait to make this again, it was so delicious :)!!

The pork to beef is fine, but gochujang is not a good substitute in this recipe. Gochugaru gives the soup clean, spicy flavor, but gochujang will make it thick, sweet and heavy in taste. If you have to use it, use a small amount.